News

Williamstown Landfill Solar Project is Operational

Brightfields Development, in collaboration with a number of partners, is proud to announce the commercial operation of the Williamstown Landfill Solar Project.

The Brightfields-led team was selected through a municipal procurement process to develop an array on the town owned landfill located on Simonds Road. After some modifications to the projects’ financial parameters caused Brightfields’ initial partner to exit the project, Brightfields collaborated with Williams College and EOS Ventures to complete the solar array. The solar project will deliver significant financial value to the Town as it is anticipated that the project will generate at least $5 million of savings over 20 years.

Throughout project development and construction, Brightfields worked closely with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) to ensure that the solar project protected the integrity of the landfill’s cap and landfill gas collections systems. Among other features, the 1.9 MW Simonds Road solar array was constructed using a ballasted, non-penetrating racking solution, utilized low ground pressure construction vehicles and was completed under constant oversite by a registered Massachusetts civil engineer.

“The Williamstown solar project is a great example of leveraging an underutilized asset as a source of clean energy generation and to provide welcome municipal income” stated Michael Singer, Principal at Brightfields Development. “This project is the result of a great public-private partnership between the Town of Williamstown, Williams College, and a number of other key project partners. Williams College assembled a great project team and we at Brightfields are happy to have helped make this exciting project a reality.”